No Matter The Cost
by Maximus Artilius
Summary: Rico and his Roughnecks are now taking the fight back to the Bugs, harder than ever before. New Troopers come into the light, as well as old ones, will they survive? How many will die? They must win, No Matter The Cost. In this story, Dizzy survives.


**So here's my FanFic on Starship troopers, my favourite film of all time.**

**I hope you guys enjoy, not sure how many of you still look at Starship Troopers FanFics, but hey, I only need one person to read it and enjoy it to know I'm doing a good job.**

**So here it is., I was inspired by Lonehowler2009's You'll Always Have Me, great story, give it a read.**

**It starts on Planet P, Whiskey Outpost, during the first film. **

"Rico! Rico! You know what to do!" Screamed Rasczak, as he looked down at the stumps that his legs used to be attached to.

"Yes sir." Rico told him, and pumped his Morita into his shoulder.

"Do it." Ordered Rasczak. Rico nodded and then blasted a round into his mentor's chest, killing him instantly. Rico looked at the body of his commanding officer, his friend one last time, and then looks up the troopers firing around him.

"Come on Rico, we gotta move!" Dizzy shouted at him. Rico got up, and started firing his Morita at the incoming Bugs.

"Get on the transport! Get out of here now, Tower get down.!" He ordered, blowing a Bugs Nerve Stem to pieces. The two Troopers on the tower nodded, and then slid down the ladder. A rumbling came below Rico's feet, and then a Tanker's head pushed through the ground where Rasczak's body lay.

"Ace grab Rasczak!" Rico ordered, as he fired at the Tanker's head, making it burrow back into the earth. Ace grabbed Rasczak's body, and dragged it away just in time, as the Tanker then burst through the ground, roaring. Dizzy ran up next to me, and just as it roared again, threw a grenade into the Tanker's open maw. An almost comical look appeared on the Tankers face, and then it promptly blew up. Dizzy pumped her arm, and then turned to look at Rico, a beautiful smile on her face.

"Dizzy!" Rico screamed as a Bug ran up behind her. Dizzy turned, and caught a spur in her shoulder and stomach, but before it could do anymore damage, it blew up, leaving Watkins with a smoking grenade tube on his Morita. He grabbed Dizzy, threw her on his shoulder and ran over to the transport, the Tower crew were covering him, and then a huge bulge appeared on the base wall.

"Tower! Here now!" Rico screamed at them. The ran over just as an new Tanker burst through the wall, it opened fire, dissolving one of the Tower crew, but before it could sweep and take out the other one, it had a face full of rounds. The second member of the Tower, kept firing as he ran back to the transport, and got it.

"Get us outta here!" Rico shouted turning and finding himself face to face Zander Barcalow. (For those who don't know, Zander played Rico at football before Rico had enlisted. Zander offered no comment, just ran to cockpit, and got the ship moving.

Rico pushed past the other Roughnecks to where Dizzy was being treated. Watkins had patched up her shoulder, and was applying pressure on the wound in her stomach. Blood ran through his fingers and out of Dizzy's mouth.

"She'll make it through sir, she's out for the count, but if we can't stop this bleeding, there won't be much the medics can work with." He said even as more blood pumped through his fingers. As if he heard Watkins, Ace started pushing through the other Roughnecks.

"Move it! I said move it! Rico, I got a Medkit, get out of my way!" Ace called to him. He dumped the kit by Watkins, who then looked at Rico.

"Put pressure here!" He told Rico. Rico placed his hands on Dizzy's wound, and felt her blood mingle with the dirt, and grime of battle that covered him. Watkins pulled out a can of Biofoam (**Yes I know it's from Halo, but I needed something that would seal the wound quickly, and not a bandage, so give me a break**) He stuff the nozzle into the wound, which got a short scream of pain from the unconscious Trooper. He turned it on, and white foam spurted out, filling up her wound, keeping her organs in position, and effectively stopping the bleeding. Watkins let out a sigh of relief, and looked up at Rico.

"She'll be fine sir; I owe you one Ace." He said wiping sweat off his brow with his forearm.

"We both do." Rico said as he passed Ace, patting him on the shoulder. Rico walked up to the cockpit and heard Zander say.

"I think you should know, your friend Rico is back there." Just as Rico entered the cockpit, the other pilot turned around, revealing herself as Carmen. Her eyes widen even more than usual when she saw Rico, and she whispered.

"I thought you were dead." Rico suppressed a small laugh. _Now she cares?_ He thought.

"I'm fine, but a lot of my men aren't, now get me fleet on the comm, tell them to nuke that rock." He said to them.

"And by who's authority?" Zander inquired his lip curling.

"Mine, I assumed control of this mission." Rico answered back at him. Zander didn't offer any resistance to Rico's words as he grabbed the comm and said.

"Fleet command, this is Barcalow, we have a Roughneck commander asking permission to go ahead with the bombardment of Planet P." There was a pause, and then.

"Permission denied, there are plans for Planet P."

"Big surprise, Mobile Infantry does the dying, Fleet just does the flying." Rico growled and turned to leave when Carmen reach out a hand to his.

"Wait, look, the Fleet's gathered, something big must be happening." She said. Rico pulled his hand free, and then looked at her.

"To be honest Carmen, I couldn't care less." And without looking at her reaction, he left the cockpit to check on his troops.

When Rico left the cockpit, a trooper, stood and held out his hand to shake.

"Max Bevan, Private, just want to thank you for getting us off that rock sir." He said. Rico shook his hand, and a flash of recognition hit him.

"You were in the tower weren't you?" Rico asked. Max looked down, and nodded gloomily.

"Yes sir that was me." Rico placed a hand on Max's shoulder.

"You did good Max, you saved our ass's." Rico said consoling. Bevan nodded, and Rico left him to check on the rest of his men and women.

+==SEVERAL HOURS LATER==+

Rico stood in front of the funeral detail on board the Rodger Young, as the coffin was brought forward by Watkins, Ace, Max, and Private Kyla. They laid the open lid coffin down revealing the body of Rasczak, in full ceremonial military regalia. No words were spoken. None were needed, they all knew what he would have said. _What you all gaping at you apes? Get back down there and kick some Bug ass!_ Rico let off a salute and the remainder of the Roughnecks joined him. The coffin was then sealed and vented out of the airlock into deep space.

"Funeral detail, dismissed!" Rico ordered. The Roughnecks dispersed quietly, and Ace, Watkins, Max and Kyla walked up to him. They said nothing, just stood there looking at the slowly disappearing coffin. Tears ran down Kyla's eyes, and Max wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she sobbed quietly into him.

"Lt. Rico?" A voice said. Rico turned around at the mention of his new rank and saw Carl Jenkins standing there, in a black leather trench coat, and the pips of a colonel. Rico snapped off a salute, and Carl nodded and said.

"At ease Rico." He then gestured to a corner of the room. They walked together and Carl turned to Rico.

"I'm sorry it was your regiment that had to go down there." He said, not meeting Rico's eyes.

"It was a trap." Rico stated simply. Carl looked at the milling Roughnecks, and then his eyes fell on Carmen who was looking in their direction.

"Proof of intelligence, we need to find that Bug down there, and I'm ordering the Roughnecks to be at the head of the search, we're waiting for reinforcements, estimated to be here in three weeks, I expect you to be ready by then Rico." And with that Carl turned and left him. He passed Carmen, but didn't stop to talk. Carmen walked over to Rico, looked at the several Roughnecks who looked in their direction, Ace, Watkins, Max and Kyla included.

"I'm sorry about what happened to Diz, will she be ok?" Carmen asked. Rico really couldn't believe this girl, first she dumps him and asks to be friends, then doesn't contact him after Buenos Aires got wiped off the map until they meet face to face, and then she doesn't do a proper check to see that he was mislabelled as KIA.

"She'll be fine, and if you don't mind, I've got to see to my troopers." Rico turned to go, but Carmen grabbed his hand again.

"Hey I just want to talk." She protested. Rico pulled his hand away, and saw that some of the Roughnecks, had surrounded them.

"I don't want to know about it Carmen, as Diz said, Fleet and Trooper don't mix, you made that pretty clear." And with that I walked past the Troopers who made a gap for me. I turned my head slightly, and saw that they followed me out of the hall, leaving Carmen alone.

+==TWO WEEKS LATER==+

Rico sat by Dizzy's bedside. She had been in a rehabilitation tank for the first five days after the ambush, and then she was moved into the MedBay. She had been kept in a medical induced coma, until today, and Rico was there for when she woke up. Throughout this time, Rico had been able to mull over his feelings, he had learned that he didn't hate Carmen, but he wasn't too fond of the idea of becoming her friend, his overpowering emotions were now towards the woman on the bed in front of him, she had joined the Mobile Infantry to be with him, she had fought with him, and eventually, before the ambush, they had gotten together in hi tent. The had battered the bugs back off the other Troopers, and she had almost died doing it. A groan came from her lips, snapping Rico back to attention. Her eyelids fluttered open slightly, blinking in the lighting of the MedBay.

"Rico?" She asked, her voice barely even reaching a whisper.

"Yeah, it's me Diz, I'm here." Rico replied, taking her hand. Rico felt Dizzy squeeze his hand, as if she was afraid of losing it.

"What happened?" She asked quietly. So Rico explained about the result of the ambush, the funeral, the meeting with Carl, and her treatment.

"Oh and by the way, do you remember what you said before Rasczak came in on Planet P." Rico said a glint in his eyes. Dizzy was now fully awake, and a slight look of worry cam over her face.

"Well, here's my response." He leant forward by her ear and whispered so that only she could hear.

"I love you too." He pulled away, and saw tears in Dizzy's eyes.

"What's wrong?" Rico asked, now taking Dizzy's look of worry. Dizzy smiled, shaking her head and wiping her eyes. She hooked her free hand around the back of Rico's neck and pulled him closer.

"Nothing, it's just that I now get to have you." She said, looking deep into Rico's eyes.

"You definitely do Dizzy, and you always will." Rico replied, and with that he leaned forward and kissed Dizzy, putting all of his passion into the kiss, which she returned with equally enough passion.

**Well, there's the first chapter, don't worry people; it's going to be a one-shot, although it probably won't be massively long. **

**As you've probably noticed, I didn't like what they did in the film when they killed of Dizzy, and Rico appeared to get back Carmen. **

**Anyways, please review, and I hope you enjoy future chapters. **


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